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Elavil (Amitriptyline) - Reviews, Ratings, Comments by Patients

 
 



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Below are Elavil (Amitriptyline) reviews, ratings, comments submitted by patients and caregivers. Based on a total of 23 ratings/reviews, Elavil has an overall score of 7.52. The effectiveness score is 8.43 and the side effect score is 7.22. The scores are on ten point scale: 10 - best, 1 - worst. This information is not vetted and should not be cosidered as clinical evidence.
 

Elavil review by 56 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   No Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Depression
Dosage & duration:   25 mg. taken daily for the period of 12 years
Other conditions:   Sleep problems
Other drugs taken:   Erythrom.
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Although this drug was originally prescribed for depression, it helped with sleeplessness. Therefore, I have continued to take it for that alone. While I still on occasion have problems falling asleep, I find I can combine it with Melatonin or Valerian. In 12 years, I haven't had to increase the elavil dosage.
Side effects:   None.
Comments:   One a day, taken about an hour before bedtime.

 

Elavil review by 50 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Moderately Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   FIBROMYALGIA
Dosage & duration:   15 MG taken one daily at bedtime for the period of ONE MONTH
Other conditions:   NONE
Other drugs taken:   PRAVACHOL
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   BETTER SLEEP- WELL RESTED
Side effects:   HORRIBLE VERTIGO AND ALL OVER TREMORS THE NEXT MORNING
Comments:   I WAS ADVISED TO DISCONTINUE USE AFTER CONSULTATION WITH MY INTERNIST BY PHONE. I TOLD HER THAT I WAS EXPERIENCING A SIDE EFFECT OF THE ELAVIL THAT SHE PRESCRIBED FOR A MORE RESTFUL SLEEP PATTERN TO HELP WITH MY FIBROMYALGIA. I HAD BEEN TAKING 10 MGS. FOR ALMOST 3 WEEKS AND GRADUALLY INCREASED TO 15 MGS. AT THE 15 MG. DOSAGE I BEGAN EXPERIENCING ALL OVER BODY SHAKINESS--TREMORS -EVEN AFFECTING MY SPEECH. SHE ADVISED TO DISCONTINUE IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT "RAMPING" DOWN MY DOSAGE.

 

Elavil review by 44 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   migraines
Dosage & duration:   25-50 mgs taken once a day for the period of 18 months
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   midrin
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   The elavil was taken as a preventative measure for migraines. I did have fewer migraines while I was taking this medication. The ones that I did get seemed to be less severe.
Side effects:   I took it at night and it made it very difficult to wake up in the morning. Also, after I took it, I would go right to sleep but if something woke me up within the first few hours of taking it, I had a VERy hard time going back to sleep.
Comments:   I took 25 to 50 mgs at bedtime for about 18 months. I took myself off of it because I was tired of the "hangover" effect. Since that time, the headaches are much less of a problem.

 

Elavil review by 37 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Tension headaches
Dosage & duration:   25 mg taken once per day for the period of Three months
Other conditions:   Migraine Headaches
Other drugs taken:   None
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Actually the Amitriptyline greatly helped with getting to sleep each night as an added benefit. It is an antidepressant but used in this case to break a cycle of tension headaches. The pattern of tension headaches was broken and the headaches have not since returned. It also acted as a migraine headache preventative.
Side effects:   It does cause drowsiness and so had to be taken at night. It also causes a dry mouth. It felt to me as if it were also slowing my metabolism down but this was not measurable in the time frame.
Comments:   One tablet per night for three months.

 

Elavil review by 61 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Marginally Effective
Side effects:   Severe Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   insomnia
Dosage & duration:   150 mg taken once for the period of once
Other conditions:   sarcoidosis
Other drugs taken:   lisinopril, theophylline, cartia, premarin
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Highly effective for sleeping.
Side effects:   Slept for 3 days. Very disoriented and groggy!
Comments:   not exactly what I had in mind. I wake up during the night at 2 or 3 or 4 am and am unable to go back to sleep, I wanted the ability to sleep through the night. But I did not want to sleep for 3 days! I think maybe the initial dose was too high. I only took one tablet and never took another one.

 

Elavil review by 24 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Moderately Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
Dosage & duration:   50mg taken daily at bedtime for the period of 4 years
Other conditions:   None
Other drugs taken:   Ibuprofen 600 mg every 6-8 hours. Paracetamol 1000 mg every 4-6 hours.
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Helped relax muscles in face, thereby relieving TMJ and reducing pain.
Side effects:   Dry mouth, nervousness, dizziness. Also negative as it was given as a long term pain management solution, it reduced my pain but still needed to be used along-side pain-killers. If stopping and has been taken for a long time slowly ween off (unlike myself) as caused me to have sweats, aches and pains and lethargy (flu-like symptoms) for a number of days.
Comments:   50 mg at bedtime.

 

Elavil review by 49 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   insomnia
Dosage & duration:   5-20 mg taken every night for the period of As needed off and on for several years
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   ibuprofen,
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Did not wake up in the middle of the night, HIGHLY IMPROVED quality of sleep, and improved body relaxation. was able to stop using alcohol to stay asleep.
Side effects:   sometimes dry mouth, and if too much was taken, and sometimes residual drug in body which made one feel logy.
Comments:   As needed for sleeplessness (waking around 3am and not being able to return to sleep.

 

Elavil review by 56 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   chronic headaches
Dosage & duration:   150 mg taken once daily at bedtime for the period of since 2000, still taking
Other conditions:   High Blood Pressure
Other drugs taken:   Accupril
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Since I was very young, a child, I suffered debilatating headaches. Often they became true migraines. They would last for days and days, sometimes weeks without stop. I missed school, parties, holidays. I was scared to make plans to do anything fearing the pain. I pretty much went to bed with some degree of head pain and woke up with it everyday. I had no clue what it would be like to live without them. Sometime late in 1999 I went to my pharmacy to pick us some prescritions, that were not working anyway, and one of the tech who suffered headaches constantly was smiling and seemed so different. Her eyes were wide open, she seemed happy, etc. She told me her Doctor had put her on Elavil and within days her headaches subsided. I went straight to my pain management physician and asked for Elavil. Two weeks later I started going whole days without head pain. I went to sleep easily and slept till morning. I looked forward to doing things. I woke up without pain. What a miracle! I have probably had only two or three actual migraines in the last eight years. When I do get a slight headache it usually disappears within a short time without additional meds. Needless to say my entire life changed. I am a better wife, mother, daughter, friend. I take the generic and notice no difference from Elavil. Thank you Elavil.
Side effects:   None that I noticed.
Comments:   I take one 150 mg tablet of generic Elavil at bedtime.

 

Elavil review by 56 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   chronic headaches
Dosage & duration:   150 mg taken once daily at bedtime for the period of since 2000, still taking
Other conditions:   High Blood Pressure
Other drugs taken:   Accupril
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Since I was very young, a child, I suffered debilatating headaches. Often they became true migraines. They would last for days and days, sometimes weeks without stop. I missed school, parties, holidays. I was scared to make plans to do anything fearing the pain. I pretty much went to bed with some degree of head pain and woke up with it everyday. I had no clue what it would be like to live without them. Sometime late in 1999 I went to my pharmacy to pick us some prescritions, that were not working anyway, and one of the tech who suffered headaches constantly was smiling and seemed so different. Her eyes were wide open, she seemed happy, etc. She told me her Doctor had put her on Elavil and within days her headaches subsided. I went straight to my pain management physician and asked for Elavil. Two weeks later I started going whole days without head pain. I went to sleep easily and slept till morning. I looked forward to doing things. I woke up without pain. What a miracle! I have probably had only two or three actual migraines in the last eight years. When I do get a slight headache it usually disappears within a short time without additional meds. Needless to say my entire life changed. I am a better wife, mother, daughter, friend. I take the generic and notice no difference from Elavil. Thank you Elavil.
Side effects:   None that I noticed.
Comments:   I take one 150 mg tablet of generic Elavil at bedtime.

 

Elavil review by 42 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   insomnia - early awakening
Dosage & duration:   300mg hs taken at bedtime for the period of 5 years and counting
Other conditions:   depression, morbid obesity, hydrocephalis
Other drugs taken:   topamax, effexor vit.d
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   restful sleep
Side effects:   carbohydrate cravings leading to overeating and overweight. I also tended to always needto increase the dose over the years. When I started using this drug, I was given a 50mg dose hs. I developed a tolerance and the dose needed to be increased until it reached 300mg.
Comments:   I was refered to a pharmacology specialist to see how I could be weaned off such a large dose in order to help control my weight because of the triggering of the carbohydrate cravings for which elavil is well known for. I have partiall been switched to topamax( 150mg hs with 225mg elavil hs) and I almost immediately lost 15lbs)

 

Elavil review by 47 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   hiatus hernia, indigestion, acid reflux
Dosage & duration:   20mg taken once a day in eve for the period of 3 years+ and ongoing
Other conditions:   dry mouth sometimes. maybe some dizziness. slightly groggy some mornings
Other drugs taken:   motillium when necessary
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Sleep very well, at least 8 hours unless something wakes me up. Hiatus hernia not there on last endoscopy. major digestion problems gone. some slight acid reflux/indidgestion if eating big/heavy/rich meal. otherwise excellent. Not happy with side effects if miss dose or try to come off-very dizzy, sick, hallucinating etc. so have to take without fail before bed every night.
Side effects:   slightly dry mouth. heavy sleep but good.
Comments:   20 mg a day at night.

 

Elavil review by 53 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   No Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   fibromyalgia
Dosage & duration:   20 mgs a night taken everynight for the period of 5 years
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I was diagnosed with a mild case of fibromyalgia, I was not able to get a good night's sleep for years because of the symptons of fibromyalgia, muscle pain and tingling in my back and arms, and I was prescribed this drug to help me sleep at night.
Side effects:   No side effects were experienced by me, just a good night's sleep.
Comments:   Before I started taking the pills I tossed and turned every night due to my symptoms and got very little rest, but the elavil helped me sleep thru the night and I woke up very rested and with very little pain. I took it for several years and stopped last year after I gradually cut back on my dosage, exercise and yoga have helped me manage my symptoms so I no longer needed help to sleep at night.

 

Elavil review by 37 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   No Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Depression, tension headache
Dosage & duration:   25 mg a day taken one tablet in two-three days for the period of 10 years
Other conditions:   None
Other drugs taken:   Triftazine
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Good for sleep and to ease a tension headache and restlessness. You should take it only at beadtime, don't take it before driving a car. For me there are no side effects because of low dose probably. Ideal to balance your mood and improve your life quality.
Side effects:   Sleepiness on the following day
Comments:   I started to have it after a nervous breakdown due to panic attacks. First I had 3 tablets a day, but then, with time went by decreased a number of tablets. I still need it two-three times a week when I feel heaviness in my head and it helps in 1 hour after taking it. Highly reccomend for those in depression, with the tension headache and difficulties with sleep.

 

Elavil review by 45 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   migraines
Dosage & duration:   50mg taken once daily at night for the period of 15 years
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I have had severe migraines for over 20 years. Since taking the amitriptyline my migraines have decreased to once or twice every six months! As long as I take the "elavil" and watch for triggers I am now in control of my migraines and not the other way around.
Side effects:   groggy in the morning, slight weight gain, dry mouth
Comments:   I started at 25 mg and that increased to 50 mg.

 

Elavil review by 46 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Moderately Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Insomnia
Dosage & duration:   50mg taken once daily for the period of Three years
Other conditions:   Depression
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   The drug helped with sleep, but was inconsistent. I was a chronic insomniac, rarely sleeping more than 5 hours a night, often less. With amitriptyline I was able to sleep more regularly (although not always), thereby alleviating some of the symptoms of depression and living more functionally on the whole.
Side effects:   Unfortunately, athough I was sleeping more regularly, I was still not rejuvenated. The sleep was of a drugged quality, remarkably different from a natural sleep, in that I still felt tired a lot of the time. Always dry mouth after the night, and after several years of use, I wondered if it had affected my memory, as loss of memory was notable. Seems to me that I had frequent headaches, as well.
Comments:   I took the drug every night, just before I intended to sleep. Often I would fall asleep, but still wake in the night, although usually falling asleep again, which I would not be able to do without the drug. Mornings were a little foggy for me, and there was the reality of dry-mouth, and the possibility of a headache. I tried to quit for several months after the second year, but was so plagued by insomnia that I went back on it. After another 9 months or so, I quit because I was worried that the long term use had affected my memory and the efficacy of the drug was inconsistent in any case.

 

Elavil review by 30 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   neck pain
Dosage & duration:   75mg taken 1 times a day for the period of still taking
Other conditions:   migraine
Other drugs taken:   flexial 10mg
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   have gone without a headache or migraine for 3 weeks now. I have very mild neck pain.
Side effects:   I am a little drowsy, and i sleep alot, but thank god for the absence of the migarines.
Comments:   I take 3 flexeral a day at 10mg each. I take 3 elavil at night at 25mg each.

 

Elavil review by 51 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   migraines
Dosage & duration:   50 mg taken daily for the period of 20 years
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   Axert
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I had fewer headaches and the headaches which I did have were less severe and easier to relieve with medication. I have fewer days off from work and can enjoy life with family and friends without worrying about headaches.
Side effects:   I experience an increase in headache severity after taking the medication as well as nausea and light sensitivity. But I only have to take 1 pill, tolerate the increase in symptoms for about 1/2 hour and my headache is gone. And, I don't have the headache hangover I used to have with other medications.
Comments:   I take a daily medication at bedtime (amitriptyline) which reduces the frequency of my headaches (significantly!) and then I take Axert when I do get a migraine headache.

 

Elavil review by 44 year old male patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Irritable Bowel Syndrome-diarrhea
Dosage & duration:   50mg taken 1 time per day for the period of 3 months so far
Other conditions:   N/A
Other drugs taken:   N/A
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I was having increasing problems with IBS. Doses of Immodium helped but dosages were becoming higher and daily and I still had uncomfortable bloating and cramps. I started to lose weight and could not keep it on. Doctor decided to try me on Elavil. We started with 25mgs. That helped, but I would still have trouble toward the end of twenty four hours. We bumped it up to 50mgs. This helped tremendously. I now can eat normally and can eat most anything I want! This drug changed the quality of my life. An added benefit is that my insomnia is better since I started taking the medicine.
Side effects:   There was some sleepiness for about a week, but that faded as my body adjusted to the medicine. A few very weird dreams for a little while, but these have faded too.
Comments:   N/A

 

Elavil review by 48 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   depression/insomnia
Dosage & duration:   100mg taken 1 day for the period of 3 months
Other conditions:   epilepsy, hypothroidism
Other drugs taken:   dilantin, neurontin,levothyroxine
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   This medication was prescribed for its side effect of drowsiness. Although it is mainly used as an anti-depressant, in the tricyclic family, it causes considerable drowsiness at even a low dose of 50mg. This immediately helped with my insomnia. It also caused no daytime "hangover" effect and the dose can be increased easily.
Side effects:   The major side effect of drowsiness is desirable in my case, but it also has a marked side effect of weight gain. In addition, there is a dry mouth effect that seems to resolve after a month or two.
Comments:   This was prescribed by my psychiatrist after trying several newer hypnotics. The newer medications such as Ambien and Lunestra caused sleep disturbances, particularly altered dreams states. In the case of the latter, it is prohibitively expensive.

 

Elavil review by 51 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Considerably Effective
Side effects:   Mild Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   sleep
Dosage & duration:   35mg taken once a day for the period of 22years
Other conditions:   anxiety, shy, but overal healthy
Other drugs taken:   larozepam took for 5-6 years, discontinued
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   helps me fall asleep and stay asleep
Side effects:   difficult to get up, tiredness in the morning, light sensitivity, constipation
Comments:   i have been take amitriptyline for the last 22 years, without too serious side effects. i never miss a dose- if by some reason i dont have it - i will never be able to fall asleep at all. I started on 10mg but now i am taking 35mg, it helps.

 

Elavil review by 57 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Highly Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   fibromyalgia
Dosage & duration:   100mg taken 1 per day for the period of 9 yrs
Other conditions:   none
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   I was only sleeping around 5 hrs per night. I felt sleepy ALL the time. I had episodes when my whole body would ache, every joint and muscle. It felt like someone had their hands around my neck, squeezing it until my eyes would pop out
Side effects:   I started craving carbs. I gained weight but I didn't care because I was feeling REALLY good. As the years went by, I had to keep increasing and was up to 100mg. I had VERY dry mouth, I got to where I couldn't talk because my throat was so dry. I had to have a bottle of water next to me ALL the time, and I chewed gum constantly. I had to take laxatives every 3 days. I was so sick of it, I went to my doctor to see what was wrong with me. She thought it might be the amitriptyline, so she told me to wean off of it and she gave me 30mg of Cymbalta to start. I went down to 50mg and already started to feel my mouth was not so dry. Not sure how the Cymbalta is going to work since I've only taken it 4 days now, but I'm hoping it works.
Comments:   I started with 10mg. I noticed a difference after just one week. It worked really GREAT. I was able to sleep with no problems at all. If I woke up for any reason, I'd just fall back to sleep right away. It was a lifesaver to me. I wish I could still take it.

 

Elavil review by 21 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Moderately Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   Insomnia, Migraines
Dosage & duration:   75mg taken 1 pill at night for the period of 4 months
Other conditions:   Aches and pains
Other drugs taken:   none
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   Took 25mg for insomnia for about 3 weeks. Did not notice a difference. The Doctor Prescribed 50mg, and still no difference. Finally, I was prescribed 75mg and have been taking that dosage for about 2 months.I do sleep a little better than before, but I still do not sleep through the whole night.
Side effects:   I would wake up and could not fall back to sleep. Also, I have had an appetite out of this world. I have noticed some weight gain, dry mouth, very vivid dreams, and even periods of hallucinations, and memory loss. I also have had the worst migraines that I have ever had in my life for weeks at a time.
Comments:   Take one 75mg pill at night.

 

Elavil review by 55 year old female patient

  Rating
Overall rating:  
Effectiveness:   Moderately Effective
Side effects:   Moderate Side Effects
  
Treatment Info
Condition / reason:   depression and anxiety
Dosage & duration:   50mg taken every night for the period of 19 months
Other conditions:   high blood pressure
Other drugs taken:   atenolol
  
Reported Results
Benefits:   i do not take as long now to get to sleep where i used to lay awake most of the night tossing and turning i do feel more relaxed as i now can go on short jorneys on my own which i could not before they have helped me through
Side effects:   drowsy confused hangover feeling nervous when getting out of bed for the first 2 or 3 hours weight gain craving for sweet things tired
Comments:   50mg 1 to take at night
 


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